The Butler weekly times., 1887-02-02
REMARKABLE VOLCANOES.
Excitement on y, iniig" Plsata'ion ie
.M~xico-The Erup-inn of III Faro
deI S.ly a.itr.

=
over the report that during the r"csnl
earthquake shocks in Ire Samoan
islands n mountlin rose Suddenly from
the surface of the earth. aud has sine
been an active volcano. the Story
goes that this mountain rO>.. up IN ::
single night TO II height Of three hum
dred feet. and has since been growing
larger by the lava and rocks That come
out from its crater and are accumuiai-
ing on its sides. While this is :, re-
markable phenomenon. it is not the first
time such a thing has happened. There
are two active volcanoes on this hem,-
sphere that have risen out Of The ground
within the memory Of man. Onc vi
them is JOruilO, volcano in the state
of Michoacan. 100 miles southwest Of
the city Of Mexico, and near the town
of Acapulco.
prom the discovery of Americ, down
to the mlddle OF the eighteenth century
no volcanic Disturbances or earth
q,akcs occurred in this region. The
present site Of the volcano Jorullo was
the center Of large cultivated area
filled with cOff'e plantations and indigo
fict:s. In June. 1853. however. strange
sounds We're heard by the people 10
come from underneath the earth. These
grew louder and more tempestuous. and
were followed by terrific explosions
Then came long succession of earth
quakcs. extending over n period OF
three or four weeks. which caused the
innaUilants to lice from the country in
terror. During these commissions a
large crack opened in the earth near
the center of the indigo plantation, and
flames. smoke, and lava were seen 10
Issue from it in large volumes. The
natives who fled at the time of the earth
quakcs b,'gan 10 return 10 the place a
lew months later, and found that a
cone had formed around the crack in
the glound. continually increasing in
81 ny ,en>on ot the discharges of earth
and showers of basaltic lava. The
earh around was SO hot that they
cOuiu not stand upon 1t with their bare
feel. and. having made a general sur
vey of the surroundings. they left the
place aud returned to where they had
taken rslugs when the earthquake
began.
"rnis newly formed crater continued
its eruption tor ssventy-five or eighty
years until 1927. when il ceased. and
hxs since discharged nothing but smoke
aud occasionally . few showers of
asiUs. Thv mountain. however. has
grown To the height Of sixteen hundred
ioei i,om tue PLAIN around il. and forty
four hundred feet from tho level Of the
sAx.
but even . more remarkable case
has occurred In the little republic OF
| San Salvador. where Is the most won
dcrfui v0'cauO on this hemisphere II
Stands about nine miles from the sea,
u in PLAIN sight Of every passing vessel
| OH tiic Pac.i +, aud its constant and
regular erup, ions have caused It to be
caiIc, I'll Faro del SalvadOr'-the light
house Vi Salvador.
Its erupliOns occur with great regu-
larity ut intervals OF exactly seven min.
uIes, with noise like the discharge OF
| ariiilery. accompanied with dense
sunO~e. large voiu,nes of flame. and
showers Of lava. which fall upon every
side aud which are continually aud.
| ing 10 the height of the mountain, now
nearly four thousand feet above the sur.
rounding country. This volcano is one
| Of The most remarkable in the world
not only because Of its regular erup-
tious, which have continued now fo,
more than one hundred years. but be.
cause Of its singular origin. The name.
rs It appears OH the map. is lzalco. ana
| is in The shape Of Il truncated cone. |.
Is d.tficult 10 conceive of grandel
natural Object is base is shrouded
in the denscst green from the grass thai
grows in the fields below it while abov,
il is a oelt Of forest, and above that /;
large accumulation of lava and scoria,
where the various colors are melted i'm
percepubly into each other. and in IL,
sunshine or by the light of the flames
constantly being emitted from the
crater they appear to have the grandest
huea First comes the rich umber. then
the silver tint of the ashes that fall in
showers from the crater, and around
the crest the living gold of the hot lava,
which is elected with the greatest regu.
larity. and flows down the sides of the
mountain in great torrents. One dis.
charge no sooner cools than another il
upon it Then above all are the heavy
flames and plume of smoke that rises
up cternajly to heaven.
This volcano arose from the plain
In ITO. in what was then = cattle
ranch or hacienda The owner was
absent at the time in Europe. and upon
| Ms return . few months later was as.
tonished to discover that he had sud.
denly traded line ranch for an active
volcano In December. 1863, the ranch.
men upon this estate were alarmed by
subterransan explosions and earthquake
shockA which continued from day to
| DAY. growing moro severe, until the
houses upon the ranch were shaken
down and their occupants fled from the
plaina Tho herdsmen, however. 70
mained about watching developments,
ana discovered about the middle ol
january that the earth had opened
half mile from where the buiidinxs
stood. and that smoke and fire wcr<
0omin1 ont a. thu "a sv;<y A. H..